


I Promise

by Akaicchi



Series: Secret Santa Gifts 2017 [1]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Feels, Gen, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 16:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13217505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akaicchi/pseuds/Akaicchi
Summary: Shortly after Yuu moves back to Tokyo, Dojima takes the time to make dinner for himself and Nanako.





	I Promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Milligramme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milligramme/gifts).



> This was a Secret Santa gift :)  
> Ryoutarou's viewpoint.

I stir the pot and check the recipe. _I did everything properly—It should come out well._

_Right?_

_Damn it! I’ve never made stew in my life!! Why would I pick the one day I want things to go well to try it?_

I slam the wooden spoon down on the counter and reread the notes at the bottom. _Chisato’s notes._ There are things like extra spices to add, ingredients that Nanako and I dislike, and how to make variations.

 _Why have I never done this before?_ The cookbooks have been sitting here all this time. Only Nanako bothers to provide us with home-cooked meals and it has to end. Yuu’s food was such a wake-up call for me. _I need to do a better job of making this a home._

_I need to be around more. I need to shop and cook. I need to eat dinner with my daughter._

I taste the soup and it’s passable. _Not the best, but at least I did it myself..._

_I’ll learn. If I stick to it, I know I can get better._

Something smells a little off, so I check the oven—Sure enough, the fish is starting to burn. It isn’t simply crispy, but definitely charring!

“Ugh...” I moan as I stab the fish with a fork and move it to a plate. _Can we even eat this?_

_Nanako will know. I’ll just set it out and see what happens..._

_Worst case scenario, we still have the soup. Or I can call for delivery_ —

I sigh and smack my forehead. _This was supposed to be the start of a change!_

After I turn another plate upside down on top of the fish, I carry it to the table. The stew still smells good, and it’s supposed to ‘stew’, so I think we’re okay.

The front door opens and I know that Nanako is home. _Time’s up. How’d I do?_

“Tadai—” I hear Nanako cut herself off from finishing the greeting, probably when she sees me shoes are also by the door.

“O-okarei,” I haltingly call back. _The table is set. Fish and pickles are out. All that’s left is to bring the soup over._

When Nanako rounds the corner, her eyes get huge. “Dad...” she starts. I smile in a way that feels too guilty. I try to fix it and she returns the gesture. “You did all this?”

“Yes,” I eagerly nod.

My daughter walks over and takes a look at the fish. She barely wrinkles her nose, so I think we’re good.

“Can we eat early?” Nanako questions.

I laugh, feeling a little more at ease. “Definitely,” I agree with her. “Don’t want it to get cold.”

I serve the stew and we sit at the table, awkwardly unsure of what to say. “Ho-how was your day?” I start us off.

“Good,” Nanako relays. Then she’s silent again, eating but not talkative. _Guess that’s the end of that subject._

“What’re you working on in school?” I try next.

Nanako looks up from her food, considering what to tell me. “Words,” she reports. “And we made drawings today. Then there’s a science project we’ll start tomorrow.” She pauses, holding her chopsticks at an angle as she tries to think of anything else.

“It’s alright,” I tell her. “Take your time.”

Nanako smiles too sympathetically for someone of her age. “I know,” she says. “I didn’t—” she stops and bites her lip. “I didn’t want us to stop talking again.”

“You read my mind,” I mutter.

“I did?” my daughter asks me.

I nod. “I wanted us to talk tonight, too.”

“Is that why you came home early and cooked?”

“Well yes,” I begin, frowning. _Ouch. Hit the nail right on the head._

Nanako regards me dubiously. “That’s what I thought.” She stares at me with a look as if I’ll vanish right before her eyes. “Do you have another big case?”

_No, that’s—_

“I can’t cook everyday,” I sigh. “But I’m going to start doing a better job around here.”

My daughter watches me suspiciously now. “You aren’t going to say you need to stay late? Like the talk we had about how I can use the stove now?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Look, I know I’m not the best father, but I’ll try harder.” I smile over at her and Nanako smiles back, still on guard. “I—” I can hear my voice break as I try to tell her that ‘I promise’.

Sighing, I rest my head on my hand. “Nanako, I know...”

“What?” she asks, leaning over the table to poke me. “Are you upset?”

“ _No_ ,” I snort. “I—I just don’t now how to tell you that I’m going to do this more often. I promise!”

Nanako finally gives me a genuine smile. “Really?”

“I’ll swallow a thousand needles,” I vow.

“No, that’s night right,” she admonishes.

Nanako reaches out her hand and extends her pinky. “Here, I’ll show you.”

I repeat the old poem after her, watching my trusting daughter believe in me yet again. _This time, I swear, I’ll get it right._


End file.
